Knitting machine



Nov. 16, 1943. w. E. RALsToN KNITTING MACHINE Or'iginal Filed Nov. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @U @U Q I N VE NTOR. l/Vu T52 E Een 572A/ M, M1 Ma/L A TTORNEY` Nov. 16, 1943. w. E. RALsToN 2,334,353

KNITTING I MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ,WAM TER 5 fmaro/v ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 16, 1943 `..-cor.por`ation ciDelaware l Y "3"'C,lai`m's. ivry .invention relates toa improvements @in '--knittingvma'chines yi "The ob'ject'lotimy.inventien istoLproVidera special ldrawffcarnnmechanisrnstvherebyito fsimplif'y and speed '.up drawacam'ioontrolipperationithus making it .possible .to ch'a/ngeilthesdraw:camisetting in 'the nor-mall .progressief :a knitting.v machine peration Iand rwithout:stopping @the :machine .for

the adjustment oftheldlrawicam. l f

` Inlthe-drawings: l I c I. .I

y 4ft-'Figure T1 Yis adplan View of `a .iknitting `.machine embodying my invention. v

i Figure '2 fis an 'end .viewa'o'V :a knitting machine equipped `4'with my improved.d1fawcam `mechlan'ism. "f fV i I "Figure -"3 iis fa ifi-ont view, AAtrono tthe loperatorfs "position, fof my new ldraw-icamM-ajdjusting' device.

i iT Ii-ketparts aredesignatedbyfthe samef`-reier i'en'ce characters throughout"theI sever-al i views.

"This is ldivisionfotimy applicationlfserial -Numberzsassv niet November 4,11es8mowunt- 'ihe drawings show "my-inventionembodied*in a so-called hand knitting machinefforthe knittingbfffat abricfand the product of Such af knitting machine has heretofore been in the form of ueither a single weight simple flat web, or a double thickness flat web, or in the form of a single thickness web upon which the simplest forms of pattern have been made either by hand decking or by a laboriously operable cam control racking mechanism by means oi which one entire needle plate, as for instance the front plate, has been laterally moved to the extent of not more than three or four needles. Obviously, my invention may be incorporated in other types of knitting machines'whether hand or power operated as will be clearly seen from the following description.

In a hand knitting machine of the type shown in the drawings, a frame Ill is provided with two needle plates I2 and I3, the needle plate I2, as shown in my drawings, being the rear or back needle plate, and the needle plate I3 being the front needle plate since it is faced toward the operators position when the device is operated as a hand knitting machine. n this description I shall refer to the needle plate I2 as the rear needle plate upon which a Single thickness knitted fabric may be produced and upon which a pattern or Athe double thickness fabric may be (Otite-fuif: j

:knitte abyfmeans offtheneedlesginthe frontfneedle plate I3. It will be understnod', ofrfcourse, izthatzithe ,knitting opera-tion ds ver.c ornrilishe.d by vtnenpass-ageioxyarn .'I 4L `rthprofngli guide .1.1 5 intoathe :i'honksxefothe needlesfcarried and; @guidedabyffthe needlesplates Iiand I:3;;the guide i1.5 being-.reciprocatedifnomfenizfftoend :ofimachiner-ividl cam `ilrilecks 'IiianilfL :'Ifrwhichzarecarried andiguidediby icamiblnckrailsihvand .I-.S'finzaamapinerfwel'l knnwn loiini'thisart. i f

, iHeretnfore ithefetrenttplate; |13; y:has :been conestnucted; With-:needle guidesgahuiltiintoa `:solid fplatefiextending. iclear4 acrnsssiihe machine .from le'ft'ltoirightgiandsasiindicated, abone, :this entire 15 :.needlei plate has heretdfore.Ibeenalzprovided :with imeansiferifnacking"sitilaterally ato; the' extent :of one .to-'ithrleeaoni possibly ounneedles. rin any .-iknittin'gimachine ,.callirigicorriincreased .frange of racking or in a machine wherein variation inrithe andiespecially.sin` tnnynfiew.` knitting anachine' -dej rscribed'finimytpatent applicationiserial Number ,1238,337envherein' thenplates-,are :split and a rdiwereifucation.v of spiate untrovemen'tsV .and constant "yariationsinnt-he drawioi sthez-yarneareccommon,

ymy inventionihereinafiter:idesoibed i. s of greatest use. y' :7* `1 L 2.ViiliileitheLselidfineeiile-plateiisimonntedliin a knitting :ipdsitionI-lwith .Lthevneed-le iplate on the opposite side, it is possible to rack it from one end of the machine to the opposite end. Heretofore racking movement to the extent of three or four needles has been the limit in any given direction.

It will be obvious to any one skilled in this art that the successive rackingwould be virtually impossible with any of the types of yarn now used unless the drawing of each stitch by the draw cam in the cam blocks I1 is controlled and adjusted as each type of work produced by the needles of the front plate is changed. For instance, the constant production of a rib stitch would require a given adjustment of the draw 4cam while the production of zig-Zag stitching would require a different setting of the draw cam. I have, therefore, provided a iingertip control for the adjustment of the draw cam in a draw cam control device shown most clearly in Figures 3, 4, and 5. Each cam block is cams 1U and 1I, and each of the draw cams is provided with a post 10 and 1I. These posts extend upwardly through the cam block and are in position to be contacted and controlled by a pair of control levers 12 and 13. The pair of provided with two awwf control levers 12 and 13 is mounted upon a single fulcrum pin 14 and each of these control levers is a lever of the first class extending from a camlike surface 15 which contacts the draw cam post to a latch lip 16, and one of the levers (13) in each pair is provided `with a iingertip pad 11 comprising anextensionof the lever'. I

Upon aseparate latch-post 18 I provide a pair of latch pin holders 19 and 8U, each of which is provided with a latch' pin 19 and 80', respectively. latch pin holders 19 and 80 vwith which they are in threaded engagement, lock nuts being provided as shown. Latch'pin holder 19 is provided with a spring 8l tending to withdraw latch pin 19' from engagement with the latch lip 16 of the lever 12 and a clip 82 secured to'latch pin holder These latch pins extend through the'v 8D overlies latchpin holder 19 to compel latchpin holder 80 to move upwardly with latch pin holder 19 but to permit the free downward movement of vlatch pin holder 19 without affecting latch pin holder 80. Y. e

With the draw cam adjusting devices, described above, it willbe seen that the post-of eachv draw cam may be adjusted .along the slot in which it `is mounted to move simply by the fingertipl conftrol of the operator for it is possible for. thefoperator tomove the-draw cam upwardly for atight ldraw merely by pressing downwardly upon the latch pin holders 19 and 80 thus causing Vlatch -pin 80 to engage the lip on lever.13, then as the knitting work progresses and a slight release of the draw cam is desired, pad 11 may be pressed .by the ngertip of the operator whereby to release latch pin holder 19 and 80. The draw of the cam will then be reset by pressure'upon'holder Y19, which in turn, as the work progresses, may

be released bya second application of pressure uponpad11.d

Obviously the adjustment of the various` positions of the draw cam may be accomplished by setting the adjustment of the latch pins19' and Sil.y Any basic adjustment of the levers 12 and o 13 'may be accomplishedfby means of a set screw 83 whichrpositions the limitof ,looseningi'movement of the draw; cam by determining the lowermost position of lever 12. ,t

'f vIn theoperation of my improved `knitting machine inthe creation of a'pattern involving rejustment.

peated changes in the racking of stitches produced by the front plate of the machine, the extreme usefulness of my quick draw cam adjustment will be apparent. The respective levers 12, 13 may be set at the predetermined adjustments required for particular types of stitching so that, under the control of their respective latches, the one or theV other may be left in control of the draw cam as desired, thus making it only the work of a moment to shift from one type of stitching to the other as the work progresses. It has been found in practical commercial operation of my improved knitting machine that the roperatorsoon becomes as procient in the ngertip control of my draw cam as would a pianist in the ngering of the keys of a piano.

I claim:

I v1. An adjustable draw cam for a knitting machine and a frame therefor, said cam having a member positioned to engage control .means for determining its position of adjustment, said control means comprising a plurality of levers fulcrumed on the frame and bearing against said member. and a Lplurality of latches each releasably engageable with a lever whereby to hold the lever in a position of adjustment of the cam.

2. In a device of thecharacter described, a knitting machine cam blockan adjustabledraw cam movable from a; position for loose stitch control to a position for tight stitch control, and a plurality of latch means alternativelyengageable between the cam block and the draw cam for alternative positioning of the cam in any one of said plurality of positions of adjustment.

3. In a device of the character described, a knitting'machine cam block, an adjustable draw -cam movable from a ,position for loose stitch control to a position f or tight stitch control, and a plurality of latch means alternatively engageable betweenthe cam block and the draw cam for alternative positioning of the cam in any one of said-,plurality of positions of adjustment, said means including a pair of draw cam radjusting levers mounted upon said cam block and positioned to move the cam, and latches to releasably position said levers in selected `positions of ad- WALTER E. RALsToN. 

